Design #2

This was when the "Big Hole" became part of the design. The house is on a typical Chicago lot - 25 feet wide and 150 feet deep. There is a narrow gangway on one side of the house. The other side is almost right up against the house next door. No wiggle room. And, more to the point, not much opportunity for light.

Even if we put windows everywhere, none of it would get down to the first floor. Enter Patrick's brainchild, the Big Hole.

Patrick suggested installing two skylights in the roof - one over the interior staircase and another directly above the living room. He would carve out space on the second floor so the light could shine all the way down to the main living space.

I loved the idea. It did mean that we would lose a good sized room on the second floor (about 6'x8'), but it was so cool. Besides, if we ever hated it, it would be pretty easy to turn back into a closet. Now that we have it, it's definitely here to stay, and we think it's one of the best features.

Other changes included eliminating the den on the second floor, giving each bedroom its own bathroom and adding a laundry room inside the master suite. (Putting the laundry in the master bedroom was one of the best design decisions we made. More on that in another post.)